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Guest Blogger: Dr. Arjun Rayapudi

It was a beautiful day in April, 2011, when a handsome young man looked me in the eyes and said those three little words that would change my life forever: “You have cancer.” That man was my surgeon, Dr. Arjun Rayapudi (or Doc. McDreamy as me and my sisters referred to him.) I remember crying out in anguish, “I’m going to die!”, for in my mind, stage 3 breast cancer brought with it a guaranteed death sentence. Little did I know that two years later, a very healthy Flo would be standing side by side with this very same doctor, educating people about diet and cancer prevention.

Dr. Rayapudi is a board certified General Surgeon with an avid interest in Cancer Prevention/Treatment and Nutrition, currently working at Burin Peninsula Health Care Centre. He was kind enough to guest blog for me this post on the link between diet and cancer. I welcome Dr. Rayapudi to the blogosphere!

Dr. Rayapudi Says:

It is a great privilege for me to contribute to the Perks of Having Cancer forum. Flo’s positive attitude towards cancer diagnosis is inspirational. Her attitude to seek opportunity in the problem she faced, reminds me of sayings “Tough people last tough times don’t” and “What doesn’t kill you make your stronger”. Her blog has been helpful to patients and families to navigate through difficult phases of their lives when faced with cancer diagnosis.

In this post, my objective is to empower women by raising awareness about the connection between the diet/life style choices and breast cancer.

The incidence of Breast cancer and Colon cancer on BurinPeninsula is appalling. I had the opportunity to take care of several patients with breast cancer in last 2 and half years at Burin Peninsula Health Care Centre. Most patients with breast cancer that were when diagnosed in early stages did well. There were some patients who died in 40’s and 50’s due to advanced breast cancer despite conventional treatments including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The suffering of the patients and their families is enormous. It motivated me to explore the causes of breast cancer and increase my focus on breast cancer prevention. The causes of breast cancer are multifactorial. The important factors that increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer are positive family history of breast cancer, Diet, Obesity, smoking, amount of estrogen exposure throughout the life.

Genetic factors are important but genes by themselves do not determine who gets the disease. Genes load the gun with bullets whereas diet and lifestyle factors appear to pull the trigger.

Diet appears to play a significant role. Cancer cells form and multiply because of alteration in the genes. Our bodies have immune system which helps to knock off the cancer cells. Numerous studies have shown that cancer is more common in populations consuming diets rich in fatty foods, particularly meat and much less common in populations with diets rich in grains, vegetables and fruits.

As you can see from below various colorful plant foods have anti-oxidants/phytochemicals and fiber which boost the ability of the immune system of the body to fight the cancer cells. Fiber in the plant foods also binds the toxic carcinogens in the gut before they try to enter the blood circulation.

(Source: Above chart is from PCRM website)

In contrast, animal foods lack fiber and several protective anti-oxidants which boost the immune system. Attached graphs below show the relationships between animal fat intake, daily meat consumption and risk of acquiring breast and colon cancer in various countries. These charts display that as intake of animal fat and meat increases the risk of breast cancer and colon cancer increases almost in linear fashion. Studies show that animal products contain potentially carcinogenic compounds that may contribute to increased risk of cancer. Consuming high fat diets increases estrogen levels which can contribute to increased risk of breast cancer. Breast cancer has also been linked to consumption of cow’s milk products. Consumption of cow’s milk products increases the level of hormone called Insulin like growth factor (IGF-1). Studies show that circulating levels of this hormone is positively associated with breast cancer risk.

In summary, eating plant foods and less processed foods appears to decreases risk of breast cancer, and eating more animal based foods and processed foods appears to increases risk of breast cancer. My suggestion to anyone who is serious about decreasing your risk of breast cancer is to minimize or eliminate animal based foods and embrace whole foods plant based lifestyle.

I encourage everyone to be proactive and learn more about this important health issue.

I highly encourage everyone to educate their families and friends about the prevention of breast cancer.

Flo says:

Thank you Dr. Rayapudi for sharing this very educational post. To my readers, I would like to say that even taking small steps towards a healthier diet can have big benefits. When I first started my “cancer-fighting diet”, I did not eliminate any foods. Rather I added foods that are proven to fight cancer, like berries, broccoli, and cauliflower. Gradually, I decreased the amounts of meats and added more and more fruits and veggies. After about a year, I had no desire for meat any longer and in its place, I had beans, legumes and nuts for protein. As long as you are eating MAINLY a plant based diet, you are doing something good for your body! Here is a good way to begin: Meatless Monday. Try eating plant-based for one day of the week. And don’t forget, plant-based does not mean eating only salads…you can have soups, stews, burgers (black bean burgers), pasta dishes…..the possibilites are endless!

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9 thoughts on “Guest Blogger: Dr. Arjun Rayapudi”

I’m just sayin!
There are many plant-based bloggers on my blog roll. I invite y’all (that’s how we say ‘everyone” in the south) to come on over and check out my recipes! The chili will knock your socks offhttp://www.sisterearthorganics.wordpress.com

Flo, Thanks for the posts on this. I’m 2 years out from my last BC surgery and wondering what I could be doing differently to prevent anything from returning; also wondering what I can do to help my 17 year old daughter from getting breast cancer. Your notion of “one meatless day a week” is helpful. Thanks for your blog, I really love reading it.

Diet and exercise are the two main things which are in YOUR control to help prevent a reoccurence. I have my teenaged daughter taking a vitamin D supplement as well, since there is a link between low levels of this vitamin and an increase in breast cancer risk. You will learn LOTS of more helpful tips when our book: 100 Perks of Having Cancer Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It hits the stands in August!

Thanks for this post.Been trying to change my diet and life style over the past couple of years myself.I did the same thing Florence.Added a few things first and now am trying to eliminate some no no’s.Even a gradual change is good as long as you get started!!Would loved to have heard Dr. Rayapudi speak on this.

I would highly recommend people with cancer to read the “china study” a book written by t colin Campbell, everything the surgeon dr rayapudi above is saying? dr Campbell has been saying all along. dr Campbell is particularly concerned about dairy, he led the largest study of nutrition ever undertaken. the new York times called it “the grand prix.it is worth reading, I am living the way of eating he describes in the china study, which is whole food low fat plant based, my goal is to reverse heart disease.dr Campbell is a bio-chemist professor emeritus, cornell. usa